Written Answers Tuesday 16 March 2010

Scottish Executive

Broadcasting

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many local authorities have appointed a digital champion to co-ordinate their preparations for the digital terrestrial broadcast switchover.

Fiona Hyslop: Digital UK is the independent, not-for-profit organisation leading the process of digital TV switchover in the UK. For digital switchover, Scotland is divided into two regions – STV North and STV Central.

  Digital UK advise that 25 of the 30 local authorities in the STV North and South regions have "Switchover Co-ordinators". This excludes the local authorities in Dumfries and Galloway and Scottish Borders which have already had digital switchover.

  Four of the five local authorities that have not appointed a switchover co-ordinator are located in the Central Belt area which is not due for switchover until 2011. They are: East Dunbartonshire, East Lothian, South Ayrshire and Renfrewshire Councils. The other local authority is Moray Council, due for switchover in September 2010.

Business Rates

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue has been collected through business rates in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: The following table shows the amount of business rates collected by each local authority in each of the last three years.

  The Scottish Government guarantees each local authority a combination of distributable business rates plus general revenue grant, with the total amount calculated on the basis of assessed need in each local authority area. The actual amount of business rates collected by each local authority is then deducted from this guaranteed funding with the balance paid as general revenue grant. The amount of business rates collected locally therefore has no effect on the total guaranteed funding.

  Business Rates Collected by Local Authority 2007-10

  

Local Authority
2007-081 
£ Millions
2008-09   £ Millions
2009-102 
£ Million


Aberdeen City
138.5
124.1
139.5


Aberdeenshire
53.4
53.7
59.2


Angus
22.2
21.4
22.9


Argyll and Bute
26.4
20.4
25.5


Clackmannanshire
10.8
11.5
12.2


Dumfries and Galloway
34.9
35.7
36.6


Dundee City
57.8
58.4
61.1


East Ayrshire
25.2
24.5
25.8


East Dunbartonshire
19.0
19.3
19.9


East Lothian
16.5
16.8
19.2


East Renfrewshire
11.6
11.8
12.4


Edinburgh, City of
278.9
279.9
299.6


Eilean Siar
5.5
5.3
5.6


Falkirk
53.7
55.1
56.0


Fife
117.0
115.1
106.5


Glasgow City
287.1
292.7
305.6


Highland
76.4
81.0
86.2


Inverclyde
18.3
17.7
19.7


Midlothian
19.8
20.1
21.6


Moray
23.8
23.4
20.2


North Ayrshire
30.9
30.2
31.9


North Lanarkshire
92.2
93.8
100.3


Orkney
7.0
6.1
6.9


Perth and Kinross
42.5
43.3
46.0


Renfrewshire
69.9
65.7
74.3


Scottish Borders
23.0
21.5
22.9


Shetland
12.2
11.6
12.6


South Ayrshire
34.2
33.5
35.0


South Lanarkshire
169.6
173.1
182.9


Stirling
34.6
35.3
36.7


West Dunbartonshire
55.1
57.7
60.4


West Lothian
60.7
64.2
70.7



  Notes:

  1. The figures for 2007-09 are final audited figures as provided to the Scottish Government by local authority’s auditors.

  2. The 2009-10 figures are based on the latest available mid-year returns made to the Scottish Government by local authorities.

Business Rates

Alison McInnes (North East Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the annual distribution of income from business rates has been in each of the last three years, broken down by local authority area.

John Swinney: The following table shows the amount of business rates income distributed for each of the last three years, broken down by local authority.

  The Scottish Government guarantees each local authority a combination of distributable business rates plus general revenue grant. The total amount to be funded is calculated on the basis of assessed need in each local authority area. The amount of business rates raised locally therefore has no effect on the total guaranteed funding.

  Business Rate Income Distributed 2007-10

  

Local Authority
2007-08 
£000
2008-09   £000
2009-10   £000


Aberdeen City
73.9
79.4
88.1


Aberdeenshire
85.9
90.6
100.7


Angus
39.9
41.9
46.2


Argyll and Bute
33.2
35.1
38.4


Clackmannanshire
17.8
18.8
21.0


Dumfries and Galloway
54.1
56.8
62.4


Dundee City
51.9
54.5
59.8


East Ayrshire
43.6
45.8
50.3


East Dunbartonshire
38.7
40.5
44.1


East Lothian
33.5
35.6
39.7


East Renfrewshire
32.7
34.3
37.6


Edinburgh, City of
167.1
177.8
197.0


Eilean Siar
9.6
10.1
11.1


Falkirk
54.4
57.4
63.4


Fife
130.2
137.7
151.7


Glasgow City
211.3
222.7
244.9


Highland
78.0
82.6
91.5


Inverclyde
30.0
31.3
34.1


Midlothian
28.9
30.4
33.5


Moray
32.2
33.3
36.6


North Ayrshire
49.6
52.0
57.1


North Lanarkshire
118.1
124.2
136.7


Orkney
7.2
7.6
8.4


Perth and Kinross
50.5
53.8
59.8


Renfrewshire
62.1
65.1
71.4


Scottish Borders
40.1
42.3
46.9


Shetland
8.0
8.4
9.2


South Ayrshire
40.8
42.8
47.0


South Lanarkshire
111.8
118.0
130.3


Stirling
31.7
33.7
37.1


West Dunbartonshire
33.4
35.0
38.3


West Lothian
59.8
63.6
70.6



  Note: The figures above are taken from relevant annual local government finance circulars issued by the Scottish Government.

Central Heating

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquiries there were to the Energy Assistance Package between its introduction and 31 January 2010, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: Enquiries to the Energy Assistance Package between its introduction and 31 January 2010 are as follows, broken down by local authority area.

  Households Enquiring about Energy Assistance Package, to 31 January 2010

  

Aberdeen City 
1,218


Aberdeenshire
1,727


Angus
1,696


Argyll and Bute
806


Clackmannanshire
378


Dumfries and Galloway
1,429


Dundee City 
1,547


East Ayrshire
1,031


East Dunbartonshire 
902


East Lothian 
613


East Renfrewshire 
902


Edinburgh, City of
3,311


Eilean Siar
774


Falkirk 
1,268


Fife 
3,528


Glasgow City 
3,527


Highland 
2,608


Inverclyde
809


Midlothian 
525


Moray
775


North Ayrshire
1,576


North Lanarkshire 
1,999


Orkney Islands 
257


Perth and Kinross
1,428


Renfrewshire
1,108


Scottish Borders
833


Shetland Islands 
78


South Ayrshire
1,156


South Lanarkshire 
2,384


Stirling 
1,251


West Dunbartonshire 
567


West Lothian 
940


No Value
31


All Scotland
42,982

Central Heating

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquirers to the Energy Assistance Package between its introduction and 31 January 2010 were eligible for the installation of enhanced measures under Stage Four, broken down by local authority area.

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquirers to the Energy Assistance Package have been eligible for the installation of a new central heating system under section 6.3.b of the Home Energy Assistance Scheme (Scotland) Regulations 2009, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: The following table shows eligibility status following survey for applications received up to 31 January 2010. From those deemed eligible at that time, 236 applicants would be expected to receive only insulation measures. The figures include applicants that may have subsequently cancelled.

  Eligible Applications (Confirmed at Survey) at 31 January 2010

  

Local Authority
New Central Heating System
Other Stage 4 Measures
Total


Aberdeen City 
101
3
104


Aberdeenshire
174
9
183


Angus
133
7
140


Argyll and Bute
137
11
148


Clackmannanshire
35
 
35


Dumfries and Galloway
273
12
285


Dundee City 
177
12
189


East Ayrshire
89
6
95


East Dunbartonshire 
87
2
89


East Lothian 
78
4
82


East Renfrewshire 
75
3
78


Edinburgh, City of
277
22
299


Eilean Siar
87
5
92


Falkirk 
113
-
113


Fife 
263
12
275


Glasgow City 
358
13
371


Highland 
300
21
321


Inverclyde
88
2
90


Midlothian 
54
4
58


Moray
110
2
112


North Ayrshire
154
13
167


North Lanarkshire 
236
8
244


Orkney Islands 
41
6
47


Perth and Kinross
162
10
172


Renfrewshire
127
7
134


Scottish Borders
130
9
139


Shetland Islands 
10
-
10


South Ayrshire
146
11
157


South Lanarkshire 
263
14
277


Stirling 
77
3
80


West Dunbartonshire 
57
2
59


West Lothian 
65
3
68


All
4,477
236
4,713

Central Heating

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquirers to the Energy Assistance Package have not been eligible for installation of enhanced measures under Stage Four on the grounds that their central heating system is working intermittently but not completely broken down, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: No analysis is available of heating systems that work intermittently, because the surveyor can only record the state of the boiler at the point of survey.

  If a boiler is working at the time of the survey, it will contribute to the SAP rating and if this is 55 or higher, the dwelling is not eligible for Stage Four measures.

  If the boiler is not working at the time of the survey, it will be discounted, which in most unimproved dwellings is likely to result in a SAP rating of less than 55.

  The managing agent is happy to reassess and re-instate applications for any eligible applicant if they provide written evidence from an accredited engineer, for instance a Gas Safe registered installer, that the boiler is irreparably broken.

Central Heating

Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many enquirers to the Energy Assistance Package previously not eligible for the installation of enhanced measures under Stage Four would now be eligible as a result of the 21 December 2009 increase in the Standard Assessment Procedure benchmark to 55, broken down by local authority area.

Alex Neil: Once the amendment to regulations had been laid in Parliament, all callers who were thought likely to be eligible for Stage 4 and to have a Band E dwelling were advised that they would be surveyed.

  At that time, there were also 3,300 earlier callers listed who were likely to have Band E dwellings. They were subsequently called to advise them of the forthcoming amendment to regulations. Of these, 1,186 (36%) had been translated into referrals to Stage 4 by 21 December. A few had to be contacted by letter, some were not interested, and some were not eligible for various reasons. The remainder had insulation or heating systems installed since they were last in contact.

  A further 350 applicants had been rejected at survey due to a Band E energy rating, prior to the change in legislation. Scottish Gas attempted to contact all these applicants and, following the amendment, 301 applications were reinstated. Of these, by the end of February, 187 installations had been completed or are in progress, 50 were awaiting installation, and 46 had cancelled.

  It is only possible to say how many households became eligible following the amendment to regulations for those households who had an eligibility survey undertaken, because until they are referred for this survey, the SAP rating is only estimated on the basis of the information they provide over the phone, rather than the property being visited and assessed by an accredited surveyor.

  Also, eligibility is not a matter of the SAP rating alone, so some people with energy inefficient dwellings would not be eligible for other reasons, for instance because they did not have qualifying benefits or had not been living in the property for 12 months.

  There were 4,145 referrals to Stage 4 between 21 December, the date of the coming into effect of the amendment to regulations, and 31 January. Of these:‪‪

  - 1,593 had been surveyed by the end of January;

  ‪- 2,204 were awaiting survey results, and

  - 348 had cancelled.

  Οf the 1,593 that had been surveyed by the end of January:‪‪

  - 643 were confirmed as Band E;‪

  - 549 of the households with Band E dwellings were accepted for Stage 4 measures;‪

  - 516 further households were accepted for Stage 4 measures;‪

  - 528 were rejected as ineligible, including 94 Band E dwellings;‪

  - 338 of the rejections were on the grounds that the dwelling was not energy inefficient; the remainder, including all the Band E rejections, were on eligibility grounds, including proofs of eligibility missing or invalid or not eligible because not on benefits or not of eligible age.

  Where proofs of eligibility are missing, the customer is given 28 days following notification of the result of the survey in which to provide missing information.

Central Heating

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the longevity of work carried out under the central heating programme.

Alex Neil: The managing agent contract sets performance requirements that influence the longevity of the system: replacement parts must be available for 10 years; each installation under the contract must offer a 12 month warranty, and the installation must be serviced at the end of the warranty period. The managing agent advises the customer at this time of the need for regular servicing and provides a list of local accredited service engineers as well as details of its own care plans. Once the warranty has expired, there is no contractual liability that can be enforced by Scottish Government. However, the current managing agent, Scottish Gas, advises customers to contact them in the first instance if there is a breakdown, even when the warranty has expired.

  The selection of heating system products and the quality of installations is a matter for the managing agent. The Scottish Government also employs an independent Monitoring and inspection agent that surveys a sample of installations throughout the year and works with the managing agent to continuously improve the quality of installations.

  There is no requirement on customers to report breakdowns, either to the managing agent or to Scottish Government. However, we have been made aware of a few cases where systems installed under the central heating programme have broken down and have been condemned as being beyond repair. Whilst we do not wish to underestimate the seriousness of individual cases, the number of such cases does not warrant any more systematic investigation of the longevity of installations.

Central Heating

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive (a) how many and (b) what percentage of applicants for the Energy Assistance Package had (i) applied for and (ii) received assistance under the Central Heating Programme.

Alex Neil: EAP Stages One and Two

  The Energy Assistance Package (EAP) offers certain benefits that are available regardless of the energy performance of the dwelling and the absence / presence of a central heating system:

  energy saving advice (Stage One), and

  income maximisation checks, and referrals for social tariffs or cheaper payment methods (Stage Two).

  The Energy Savings Trust, which administers the EAP, attempted to contact everyone whose application under the central heating programme was being honoured in 2009-10, to offer energy saving advice, a benefits health check and, where appropriate, access to social tariffs. However, it is not possible to say how many of these people may have received assistance under the central heating programme which ran from 2001 and will end in March 2010.

  EAP Stage Three

  The eligibility criteria for cavity wall and virgin loft insulation (Stage 3) do not necessarily exclude households who had received measures under the central heating programme. Some may not have received cavity wall insulation at the same time as heating system measures, or they may have refused loft insulation.

  Although checking of referrals to Stage Three against the historic record of the central heating programme insulation measures might limit the number of unnecessary referrals to the energy supply companies who deliver Stage Three measures, the burden of checking historic records would be disproportionate to the benefit.

  EAP Stage Four

  Scottish Gas holds a record of dwellings that received grant assistance under the CHP since their appointment as managing agent in 2006. Each referral to Stage 4 of the Energy Assistance Package is checked against the Scottish Gas database of dwellings where applications have been made under both the central heating programme and the EAP. By the end of January, 5 applicants on the Scottish Gas database who benefited under the central heating programme have also had insulation measures installed under EAP. This represents a negligible percentage of the 9,592 households referred to Stage 4 of the EAP by the end of January 2010.

  The CHP was introduced in 2001 and was originally managed by EAGA. Details of the dwellings that received assistance under the CHP were not forwarded to Scottish Gas. Although the Scottish Government could trace grant paid to CHP applicants between 2001 and 2006 from Communities Scotland financial records, the records are not held electronically and it would be not be a cost-effective use of resources to require officials either to undertake a manual check or to scan the paper documents.

  Unlike the central heating programme, the Home Energy Assistance (Scotland) Regulations 2009 sets out that under the EAP, "no grant may be made in respect of any dwelling for which a grant under these Regulations has been made within the previous 10 years."

Electricity

Patrick Harvie (Glasgow) (Green): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has had discussions with the developers of the Beauly to Denny grid upgrade regarding the possible use of helicopters to avoid the need for the construction of access roads.

Jim Mather: The Environmental Statement submitted by Scottish & Southern Energy and Scottish Power as part of the Beauly to Denny application states that helicopters will be used for the stringing of all cables over the whole length of the line, and also for the transportation of plant and materials to isolated areas where it is either impossible or impractical to build access tracks.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many women were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in the last year for which information is available.

John Swinney: Annual estimates of full-time and part-time employment levels are available from the Annual Population Survey (APS) carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Updated APS data is published on a quarterly basis.

  The following table shows the number of full-time and part-time employed women for Scotland from the latest available survey (July 2008 to June 2009), as well as data for the same period in the preceding year (July 2007 to June 2008).

  Full-time and Part-time Employed Workers, Women, Scotland (thousands), not Seasonally Adjusted

  

 
 Full-time Workers
 Part-time Workers


 Jul 2007 to Jun 2008
 707
 493


 Jul 2008 to Jun 2009
 704
 491



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Employment

Marlyn Glen (North East Scotland) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many men were in (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment in the last year for which information is available.

John Swinney: Annual estimates of full-time and part-time employment levels are available from the Annual Population Survey (APS) carried out by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Updated APS data is published on a quarterly basis.

  The following table shows the number of full-time and part-time employed men for Scotland from the latest available survey (July 2008 to June 2009), as well as data for the same period in the preceding year (July 2007 to June 2008).

  Full-time and part-time Employed Workers, Men, Scotland (thousands), not Seasonally Adjusted

  

 
 Full-time Workers
 Part-time Workers


 Jul 2007 to Jun 2008
 1,204
 136


 Jul 2008 to Jun 2009
 1,168
 141



  Source: Office for National Statistics.

Health

Dr Richard Simpson (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, in light of the recommendation adopted by the EU Council of Ministers on 9 June 2009 calling on member states to implement plans or strategies for rare diseases, what new steps it is taking to build on the specialist commissioning work already taking place to ensure equity of access and support for patients and families.

Nicola Sturgeon: In light of the European Council Recommendation on an action in the field of Rare Diseases, officials from each of the four UK Health Departments are liaising to explore areas of possible collaboration and progress in the provision of services for people with rare diseases, including in the field of specialist commissioning.

Health

Jeremy Purvis (Tweeddale, Ettrick and Lauderdale) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive whether Independence Advocacy: A guide for commissioners is an official publication of the Scottish Government.

Nicola Sturgeon: As agreed by the Scottish Government Health Directorates the guide has been produced and published as part of the Scottish Independent Advocacy Alliance programme of work to assist Commissioners to engage with local advocacy planning and service user groups. Revision of the guidance was undertaken in consultation with NHS and local authority commissioners, advocacy organisations and other relevant stakeholders. The guide revises, updates and builds on the guidance issued in 2001 by the Scottish Executive which was well received and widely used by commissioners and advocacy organisations.

  I refer the member to the answer to question S3W-32136 on 15 March 2010. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/Apps2/Business/PQA/Default.aspx.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The exact number of patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of patients consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for this condition, based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). The latest year for which PTI data are currently available is the year ending 31 March 2008.

  The estimated number of patients who have consulted a GP or practice-employed nurse for rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland, at least once during the period 1 April 2003 - 31 March 2008, based on PTI data, is shown in the following table.

  Estimated Numbers of Patients Consulting for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Scotland, at Least Once

  

Year Ending March
Estimated Patients
95% Confidence Intervals1


 2004
 21,022
 (16,242-25,801)


 2005
 20,706
 (15,259-26,154)


 2006
 16,985
 (14,187-19,782)


 2007
 16,508
 (13,776-19,240)


2008
 15,130
 (12,356-17,904)



  Note: 1. As the estimates are based on data from a sample of practices, 95% confidence intervals are included to indicate the precision of these estimates. For more information see:

  www.isdscotland.org/isd/3729.html.

  These figures are likely to underestimate the true numbers of patients in Scotland with rheumatoid arthritis. According to the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, there are some 35,000 people in Scotland aged 15 and over diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many patients aged under 30 were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The exact number of patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of patients consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for this condition, based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). The latest year for which PTI data are currently available is the year ending 31 March 2008.

  The estimated number of patients aged under 30 who have consulted a GP or practice-employed nurse for rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland, at least once during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2008, based on PTI data, is shown in the following Table.

  Estimated Numbers of Patients aged 30 and Under Consulting for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Scotland, at Least Once

  

Year ending March
Estimated Patients
95% Confidence Intervals1


 2004
 595
 (307-883)


 2005
 386
 (63-709)


 2006
 412
 (196-627)


 2007
 589
 (322-855)


2008
 575
 (319-831)



  Note: 1. As the estimates are based on data from a sample of practices, 95% confidence intervals are included to indicate the precision of these estimates. For more information see:

  www.isdscotland.org/isd/3729.html.

  These figures are based on very small numbers of patient consultations and are likely to underestimate the true numbers of patients aged under 30 in Scotland with rheumatoid arthritis. According to the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society, there are around 35,000 people in Scotland aged 15 and over diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many children aged 16 and under were diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: The exact number of patients who have been diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland is not available centrally. However, national estimates can be given of the number of patients consulting a GP or practice-employed nurse for this condition, based on information obtained from a sample of Scottish general practices participating in PTI (Practice Team Information). The latest year for which PTI data are currently available is the year ending 31 March 2008.

  The estimated number of patients aged under 16 who have consulted a GP or practice-employed nurse for rheumatoid arthritis in Scotland, at least once during the period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2008, based on PTI data, is shown in the following table.

  Estimated Numbers of Patients Aged 16 and Under Consulting for Rheumatoid Arthritis in Scotland at Least Once

  

Year Ending March
Estimated Patients
95% Confidence Intervals1


 2004
 153
 (57-249)


 2005
 165
 (34-295)


 2006
 145
 (8-283)


 2007
 138
 (44-232)


2008
 133
 (3-264)



  Note: 1. As the estimates are based on data from a sample of practices, 95% confidence intervals are included to indicate the precision of these estimates. For more information, see:

  www.isdscotland.org/isd/3729.html.

  These figures are based on very small numbers of patient consultations and are likely to underestimate the true numbers of children in Scotland with rheumatoid arthritis. The Arthritis Research Campaign estimated that there were 12,000 children in the UK under the age of 16 affected by juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA). This would equate to some 960 children under the age of 16 living with JIA in Scotland.

Health

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve access to multidisciplinary healthcare teams for patients with rheumatoid arthritis, particularly at times of urgent need.

Nicola Sturgeon: We expect clinicians who provide services for people with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) to follow the recommendations in Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) Guideline 48, published in 2000, on the management of early RA. It highlights the benefits of physiotherapy, occupational therapy, podiatry and dietetics for the management of RA. The Guideline is due to be revised in summer 2010.

  At a meeting with the National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society (NRAS) on 3 March 2010, the Cabinet Secretary agreed to set up a meeting between the organisation and relevant SGHD officials to discuss the NRAS proposal that the new approach to the management of RA being piloted in the East of England Strategic Health Authority could be taken forward in Scotland. We would wish to consider how that approach sat with a number of pieces of other work, such as: the development of a national Musculoskeletal Programme; current work on chronic pain, and the Orthopaedics Task & Finish Group being set up by the 18 weeks Referral to Treatment Team

  We have indicated our support for the Scottish Society of Rheumatology’s wish to encourage greater involvement of primary care teams, in order to promote a multi-disciplinary approach to RA care, and a willingness to work with the Royal College of General Practitioners Scotland on the possibility of developing GPs with a special interest in RA.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many of the 7,701 units provided by the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2009 were the result of refurbishment, broken down by local authority.

Alex Neil: The following table provides details of how many of the 7,701 units provided by the Affordable Housing Investment Programme in 2009 were the result of refurbishment, broken down by local authority area.

  

 
 Refurbishments


 Scotland
 363


 Aberdeen City
 0


 Aberdeenshire
 0


 Angus
 1


 Argyll and Bute
 1


 Clackmannanshire
 5


 Dumfries and Galloway
 15


 Dundee City
 0


 East Ayrshire
 5


 East Dunbartonshire
 0


 East Lothian
 0


 East Renfrewshire
 0


 Edinburgh, City of
 33


 Eilean Siar
 5


 Falkirk
 0


 Fife
 14


 Glasgow City
 157


 Highland
 8


 Inverclyde
 0


 Midlothian
 0


 Moray
 28


 North Ayrshire
 0


 North Lanarkshire
 8


 Orkney
 0


 Perth and Kinross
 11


 Renfrewshire
 0


 Scottish Borders, The
 0


 Shetland
 0


 South Ayrshire
 0


 South Lanarkshire
 72


 Stirling
 0


 West Dunbartonshire
 0


 West Lothian
 0

Housing

Jamie Hepburn (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is legislation setting out how property managers offering factoring services must operate.

Alex Neil: The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) is statutorily responsible for the regulation of the activities of registered social landlords (RSLs) and the inspection of local authority housing management functions. Many RSLs and local authorities offer factoring services.

  The SHR has published performance standards and self-assessment guidance on factoring and it expects social landlords to follow these principles in their activities. Where appropriate, the SHR tests performance against these standards during its inspections.

  There is no other specific legislation setting out how property managers and land maintenance companies should operate in providing factoring services, although reserved UK legislation covering consumer protection and other aspects of service delivery may be relevant in some cases.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the date was of the most recent meeting of the short-life working group on housing support data collection.

Alex Neil: The most recent meeting of the group was on 15 February 2010. This was the second meeting of the group. Minutes and papers for the first two meetings are available on the Scottish Government website at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Statistics/Browse/Housing-Regeneration/SurveySupportingPeople.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the date is of the next meeting of the short-life working group on housing support data collection.

Alex Neil: The third meeting of the working group is planned for mid April 2010.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the membership is of the Housing Support Forum.

Alex Neil: The current membership of the Housing Support Forum is:

  Robert Aldridge, Chief Executive, Scottish Council for Single Homeless

  Yvette Burgess, Director, Housing Support Enabling Unit

  Ron Culley, Health and Social Care, Convention of Scottish Local Authorities

  Heather Dall, Professional Adviser, Care Commission

  Bobby Duffy, Director of Operations, Scottish Association for Mental Health

  Tracy Duncan, Housing Policy Administrator, Scottish Government (Secretariat)

  Tony Fitzgerald, Principal Contracting Officer, Angus Council

  Peter Millar, Chief Executive, Aspire Housing and Personal Development Services

  Amanda Miller, Director of Housing Services, Bield Housing Association

  Helen Murdoch, Chief Executive, Hanover (Scotland) Housing Association

  David Ogilvie, Policy and Strategy Manager, Scottish Federation of Housing Associations

  Lynn Paterson, Change Management and Commissioning Manager – Service Modernisation, Glasgow City Council

  Stephen Sandham, Head of Homelessness, Housing Support, Advice and Standards, Scottish Government (Chair)

  Austen Smyth, Chief Executive, The Richmond Fellowship

  Jackie Walder, Policy Officer, Scottish Government (Secretariat).

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the date was of the most recent meeting of the Housing Support Forum.

Alex Neil: The most recent meeting of the Housing Support Forum took place on 25 February 2010.

Housing

Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the date is of the next meeting of the Housing Support Forum.

Alex Neil: The next meeting of the Housing Support Forum is due to take place on 17 May 2010.

Maternity Services

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many newborn infants were transferred to an NHS facility other than the one planned for the birth in order to receive neonatal care in each month in 2009.

Shona Robison: Information Services Division has advised that it is not possible to identify which hospital had been planned for the birth from data they hold. Individual NHS boards may record this information on an individual basis.

Ministerial Travel

George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-31753 by John Swinney on 8 March 2010, what the reasons were for ministers using the Government Car Service rather than public transport.

John Swinney: Travel arrangements are based on the nature of the diary engagement. The location of engagements, security and environmental considerations and business needs are carefully considered for each engagement.

Ophthalmology

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many secondary Care appointments have been saved in each NHS board as a result of optometrists managing patients in the community.

Shona Robison: The information requested is not available centrally.

Prison Service

Robert Brown (Glasgow) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many offenders are incarcerated in each (a) young offenders’ institution and (b) adult prison for carrying a bladed or pointed instrument and how many have a previous history of (i) incarceration and (ii) incarceration for the same offence.

Fergus Ewing: I have asked Willie Pretswell, Interim Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  The information requested is shown in the following table. Of the 180, 163 have received previous custodial sentences during the past 10 years, and all of these have received prior custodial sentences for the same crime.

  Prisoners Convicted for the Main Crime of having in a Public Place an Article with a Blade or Point: 7 March 2010

  

 Aberdeen
 4


 Addiewell
 19


 Barlinnie
 57


 Cornton Vale
 2


 Dumfries
 2


 Edinburgh
 9


 Glenochil
 12


 Greenock
 9


 Inverness
 2


 Kilmarnock
 23


 Polmont
 35


 Perth
 6


 All establishments
 180



  Source: Derived from the Scottish Prison Service PR2 management information system.

  Note: 1. For persons convicted of more than one criminal act, the main crime or offence is the most serious, assumed to be that for which the longest sentence was imposed. These figures therefore do not include offenders convicted of more serious crimes which may have involved possession of a bladed instrument.

Public Sector

Mike Rumbles (West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) area and (b) estimated value is of (i) vacant and (ii) occupied office space (A) owned and (B) rented by each public body.

John Swinney: The Scottish Government has Asset Registers that hold data on all fixed assets.

  Information on property holdings and values covering the broad spectrum of public bodies is not held centrally.